Spreadsheet software provides tools for information workers to model complex mathematical relationships in fields such as finance, science and engineering. An individual that is capable of modeling complex mathematical relationships in a spreadsheet may not be able to transform that logic into source code that may be used in a larger application. Similarly, a software engineer may have a difficult time understanding and programming information associated with a complex spreadsheet.
Software tools typically provide limited functionality in creating graphic representations of input and output data and limited ability for users to export the data and mathematical models represented by the formulas contained in the spreadsheet cells to create custom application programs. Currently, relationships between cells in a spreadsheet cannot be exported as a stand-alone piece of software that may be incorporated in other application programs and/or executed independently of the underlying spreadsheet application. Consequently, there is a need for tools to allow software developers to capture and export information contained in a spreadsheet in a component form that can be easily integrated into other application programs, such as applications supporting graphical representations of spreadsheet data.